Technical Field
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to strain based performance enhancements in semiconductor devices.
Description of the Related Art
For more than three decades, the continued miniaturization of silicon metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) has driven the worldwide semiconductor industry. Various showstoppers to continued scaling have been predicated for decades, but a history of innovation has sustained Moore's Law in spite of many challenges. However, there are growing signs today that metal oxide semiconductor transistors are beginning to reach their traditional scaling limits. Since it has become increasingly difficult to improve MOSFET performance and consequently the overall performance of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits through continued scaling, methods for improving performance without scaling have become critical. One method for increasing device performance is to introduce strain inducing materials to the semiconductor device.